Apply for the National Debt Relief Scholarship

Overview

For 2015, National Debt Relief is creating a new scholarship for students interested in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) majors.

About the scholarship

National Debt Relief will award 5 scholarships of $1,000 each to outstanding college students pursuing studies in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) fields.

What's behind this scholarship?

The NEA says "If the United States is to hold a competitive edge in a rapidly changing global workforce, bolstering the nation's science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) workforce is essential."

National Debt Relief supports this effort and wants to encourage students to pursue careers in these fields to bolster our future economic prosperity.

Eligibility

The applicants must be enrolled in an accredited 4-year university or college located in United States.

Graduate and undergraduate students can apply

Graduating high school seniors with a GPA of 3.0 or above are also eligible to apply for the scholarship.

Applicants must be pursuing or intending to pursue their bachelor's degree which can be in the fields of STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math).

How to Apply

Provide a unique solution to the following issue:

Come up with a unique way to solve the $1+ trillion dollar student loan crisis

You can be creative and create a YouTube video, write an essay or create an infographic for your solution.

Include a cover letter. Be sure to include your name, your college, college year, graduating year and intended major. In your cover letter, explain how you plan to use the scholarship and why we should select your application. For video submissions, include a link to your video in your cover letter.

To apply, submit your scholarship application to Scholarships@nationaldebtrelief.com. To be considered for one of the (5) 2015 awards, entries must be received no later than Jan 31, 2016.

Note: After submitting your application, there will be an automated confirmation message acknowledging receipt of your email. The winner will be contacted directly via email or by phone provided on the scholarship application. The winners will be notified on Monday, Feb 1, 2016.

Renewal - National Debt Relief has yet to decide based on the current year's response if we need to have a second round of scholarships for year 2016-2017

Free Debt Relief Quote

National Debt Relief – Resolve Your Credit Card Debt Problems

Debt is hard to ignore. When you’re staring down a ballooning credit card balance and fending off insistent phone calls from angry creditors, it can be an all-consuming enemy. You can’t simply wish, smile or shrug it away. You need to do something to resolve your debt problems.

What would you give to be free of the worry that comes with long-term debt?

When you enroll in our proven debt consolidation program, you may have to give less than you think. Nothing’s free, of course, and our program does take some time and commitment to complete. We can’t promise that you can enroll with us today and be out of debt tomorrow.

However, we can promise to do everything in our power to significantly reduce your existing burden of unsecured debts. We work tirelessly on behalf of every client who qualifies for our program, and the results that we’ve achieved speak for themselves.

We are National Debt Relief a BBB-accredited, New York-based business with a host of awards and accolades. We specialize in reducing the balances on credit card debts, medical bills, repossessions, certain business debts and other unsecured obligations. We also work to ensure that your creditors and debt collectors don’t harass you at your home or place of business.

We’ll talk more about what we do – and what we’ve done to become a leader in our industry – in a moment. First, let’s take a closer look at the nature of debt and some common options for fighting it.

Rising Prices, Falling Wages

These days, American consumers are struggling just to keep pace with rising prices for basic staples. No matter what the news tells you, regular folks are beset by falling or stagnant wages, shrinking 401(k)s and an apparent lack of economic opportunity.

For many consumers, debt – from credit card bills and hospital financing to personal credit lines and business loans – offers an apparent escape from day-to-day financial pressures.

Not all forms of credit are actively bad, and many folks are able to use debt as a responsible means of augmenting their purchasing power. When you’re dealing with a million competing priorities, however, it can be tough to keep your finances straight. If your expenses are rising faster than your income, you can only keep up this dance for so long.

Recognizing that you need to do something about your debts is an important first step on your road back to solvency. Whether your credit problems have become a pressing emergency or you’re merely looking to shore up your finances before it’s too late, you have several plausible options at your disposal.

Thinking About Squeaking By on the Minimum Payment Plan? Think Again.

When it comes to paying off credit card debt, many consumers take the path of least resistance: the so-called “minimum payment plan.” By law, credit card issuers are required to set a minimum monthly payment amount for each cardholder. These payments are calculated on the basis of the cardholder’s total balance, interest rate and certain other factors.

Minimum monthly payments can be shockingly low. If you’re carrying a balance of $10,000 on a single credit card, your monthly payment could be just $200 per month. Depending on your income, that could be perfectly manageable for you and your family.

Of course, credit card companies want something in return for your trouble, and they get it in the form of sky-high interest rates.

Here’s an example. If you make the minimum payment on a $10,000 balance with an 18 percent interest rate, it’ll take 46 years to pay off your balance and cost you an extra $28,000 in interest payments. With an interest rate of 21 percent, the same balance will take 87 years to pay off and accrue more than $64,000 in additional interest charges.

Ready to get out of debt? Contact us to get a free debt relief quote and see how we may be able to help you get out of debt.

Worse, these figures only apply to folks who stop using their credit cards. If you keep making charges, you’ll find yourself even deeper in the hole.

Happily, consumer protection laws now require credit card issuers to disclose the precise length of time that the “minimum payment plan” takes to work for each customer. When you get your next credit card bill, look for the box that says something like “If you make only the minimum payment on this balance, you will pay a total of ‘X’ dollars and take ‘Y’ years to pay off your balance.”

Those ‘X’ and ‘Y’ values might just shock you.

Looking for a Debt Consolidation Loan? Look Harder.

Debt consolidation loans are a well-known, well-advertised option for consumers who struggle with debt. These credit facilities exist for the express purpose of paying off outstanding unsecured debts and do their job quite well. When you take out a debt consolidation loan, your lender immediately pays off your existing creditors and starts billing you for the balance.

A debt consolidation loan works like any other unsecured debt. As long as you make your payments in full and on time, you’ll eventually pay off the loan. For consumers with good credit and sizable debts, this may be an attractive option.

There’s a catch. While debt consolidation lenders are happy to lend to low-risk consumers at market rates, they’re loath to work with people who have poor or mediocre credit. In fact, most banks won’t offer a debt consolidation loan with bad credit.

This isn’t good news for the millions of American consumers who struggle with mounting debts and less-than-perfect credit scores. Since carrying long-term debts increases your chances of missing a payment, running up excessive balances or damaging your credit in either ways, debt consolidation lenders don’t have a very big pool of potential applicants at their disposal. Unless you’ve been fortunate enough to maintain a stellar credit score during your debt struggles, you might have to look elsewhere for help.

Mulling Bankruptcy? Mull the Consequences.

Declaring bankruptcy is advisable only as a last resort. While Chapter 13 bankruptcy can dramatically reduce your unsecured debt load, it can have plenty of undesirable consequences. Meanwhile, declaring Chapter 7 bankruptcy may mean saying goodbye to most of the assets that you’ve accumulated over the course of your life.

We have plenty of literature about the bankruptcy process on this site, so we won’t go into all the details here.

It’s important to remember, however, that bankruptcy is a very public matter. Once you begin the process, it’ll be a long time before you can hide the fact that it happened.

Declaring bankruptcy results in an immediate hit to your credit score. As you work through the process, you run the risk of losing important assets like your car, home, family heirlooms and more.

Over time, bankruptcy might come back to bite you in unexpected ways. If your employer requires you to carry a security clearance, there’s a chance that it could be rescinded. If you’re applying for a mortgage or rental property, your brush with insolvency could disqualify you from consideration. Depending on your area of expertise, you might even find it difficult to find or keep a job.

National Debt Relief: Debt Consolidation with a Difference

We offer a positive alternative to these debt reduction options: debt settlement, also known as debt negotiation.

Here’s how it works:

Unlike credit card companies that offer the “minimum payment plan,” we’re not interested in bleeding you for every last penny. Unlike debt consolidation lenders, we don’t only deal with folks who have great credit. Compared to bankruptcy, our program has a manageable effect on your credit score and won’t cause long-lasting secondary problems. It is not a matter of public record either like bankruptcy.

Our debt settlement plans are available to anyone who qualifies. We don’t take just anyone though. You do have to be undergoing a financial hardship that makes you unable to make your credit card payments anymore. When you come on-board, you’ll be connected with an experienced team of debt reduction professionals who negotiate directly with each of your creditors to get your debts reduced and resolved.

We deal with these credit card companies, hospitals, banks and other creditors so that you don’t have to. During the entire process, you’ll be protected from harassing phone calls, insistent emails, in-person visits and other high-pressure tactics that creditors and collections agencies use to force payment.

The ultimate goal of these negotiations is a single, lump-sum payment that eliminates all included debts once and for all. Unlike other forms of managed debt reduction, most of our debt settlement cases can be settled in 24 to 48 months.

To help you save up for your eventual payoff, we offer an FDIC-insured trust account into which you may make monthly deposits. While no case is typical, we’ve consistently reduced our customers’ total debt loads by as much as half of what is owed.

What Does Our Program Cover?

Our debt settlement program covers the vast majority of unsecured debts. Many of our clients carry significant credit card balances, and we’re particularly adept at negotiating with major credit card issuers and banks. We’re also able to settle:

Medical bills

Certain repossessions

Personal lines of credit

Certain business debts

Collections and certain judgments

Unfortunately, we can’t settle mortgage loans, auto loans and most other secured debts. By dramatically reducing your unsecured obligations, however, we free up cash to help you stay current on these bills.

If you qualify, we may be able to lower your monthly credit card payments by a significant margin all the while getting you out of debt in approximately 24-48 months. We work hard to reduce your debt as quickly as possible.

Over time, the debt reductions that we’re able to secure could enable you to begin building up a store of savings or adding to your existing retirement account. For many past clients, our program was a turning point: Before enrolling, they lived paycheck to paycheck and could still barely afford to make ends meet. After successfully completing our debt settlement plan, they finally had the means to prepare and save for the future.

It’s the least we can do to help.

What Does National Debt Relief Cost?

Of course, one of the most common questions you will have is what is National Debt Relief’s fee? You want to know how much you have to pay for a company to negotiate your debts for you and get a creditor to forgive a significant portion of your debt.

First of all, National Debt Relief does not charge any upfront fees and there are no fees to get started. Then, NDR does not receive any fees unless your debt is resolved. You read that correctly, we do not collect any fees unless we can successfully resolve the debt with your creditor and you approve the arrangements we make with them.

Having said that, the fees for our services vary by state and the amount of your debt. The fee varies between 18-25% of your enrolled debt. Compared to the $1000s in interest you will pay on your credit cards while you struggle to pay them off, you can see that this fee is quite reasonable. Especially when you take into account the fact that you can become debt free in 24-48 months with our debt consolidation program.

National Debt Relief Awards, Recognition and Accreditation

At National Debt Relief, we think our results speak for themselves. Of course, we’re not shy about accepting recognition when it’s due. Here are just a few of the awards we’ve received from trusted authorities in the field.

Top Ten Reviews’ 2015 Excellence Award

Top Ten Reviews’ 2015 Gold Award for Best Overall Debt Relief Company

Top Consumer Reviews’ Five-Star Rating for 2015

Top Consumer Reviews’ Best Overall Debt Relief Company

‘A’ Rating from the Better Business Bureau

U.S. Chamber of Commerce Member

International Association of Professional Debt Arbitrators Platinum Member

American Fair Credit Council Accredited Member

We’re also proud of what we can accomplish for individual consumers. Just look at what we were able to do for this young lady:

“The staff was understanding, not judging, and helped guide me through my options of becoming debt free. They helped me to understand my position and seek a remedy that would be long-lasting. I would recommend National Debt Relief to anyone who wants to take control of their financial situation.” – Chelsey H. (Trust Pilot Review)

No debt problems are too big for our debt settlement experts. We were able to help this customer escape from a seemingly endless spiral of debt and regret:

“I have been completely satisfied with my decision to contact National Debt Relief. I felt like there was no end to the tunnel of debt, but every representative I spoke to has been so great and understanding. I’m moving in the right direction now and am glad I made this choice. Thank you to all those at National Debt Relief for helping me.” – Brianne M. (Trust Pilot Review)

Check out some more National Debt Relief reviews:

“This was a difficult decision for me as I had never encountered financial problems to this extent in the past. Speaking with the representatives at NDR was a pleasure because they were professional, courteous, knowledgeable, respectful, and genuine. My concerns were addressed each time I called to ask questions. I received empathy and understanding. I appreciate the level of professionalism and pray that this will resolve the bulk of my financial distress. I greatly appreciate this service.”
-Toni P. Bronx, NY

“I can’t think of a better experience I’ve had from start to finish with any other company. From the first call, Paul immediately felt my hesitation and was very frank, honest, and not ‘preachy’ at all. Everyone I have dealt with have been polite, professional, courteous, and prompt. When Paul didn’t have time to answer an email one afternoon, he called me directly to address my questions for my better peace of mind. Without a doubt the best customer service and most compassionately professional experience I’ve ever had in my adult life.”
-Wilson F. MI

Proven Results

You don’t have to take our awards, accreditations or clients’ words at face value. We’re immensely proud of our results as well. Take a look at some debt settlement letters. Check out these “Proven Results” for a look at what we’ve been able to accomplish for consumers just like you. Here’s a small sampling of our achievements:

Reducing a Bank of America credit card debt from more than $15,000 to about $3,000

Slashing a Citi credit card debt from $22,500 to less than $8,000

Lowering a Discover credit card balance from nearly $11,000 to just $2,000

Remember, no case is typical. Many factors will influence the size of your final settlement.

That said, your success is our success. Since we don’t charge monthly maintenance or setup fees, we only make money when we successfully reduce our clients’ total debt loads.

Without a proven track record of success, we simply wouldn’t be in business. In fact, National Debt Relief only enrolls clients who have a strong chance of benefiting from our debt settlement program. We predicate our reputation on our ability to help consumers move past their debts and begin rebuilding their financial lives – not on our ability to enroll as many clients as possible or charge unnecessary fees.

If it looks like you won’t be a good fit for what we do, we’ll do our best to connect you with a program that’s more likely to put you on the path to financial freedom. While we’re supremely confident in the power of our debt settlement program, we want to give everyone the best possible shot at freedom from debt.

Qualification Standards: Do You Qualify For Debt Relief?

If we don’t accept every single potential client who passes through our doors, what exactly do we look for?

For starters, we agree to work with clients who have at least $7,500 in qualifying debts. Remember, the vast majority of unsecured debts, including credit card bills, qualify for debt settlement. Most secured debts, including auto loans and mortgages, don’t qualify.

If you have less than $7,500 in qualifying debts or are facing a debt load that’s largely made up of secured debts, we’ll happily refer you to an organization that can help.

While we generally can’t settle student loans, there may be exceptions. If you’re dealing with significant student loan debts, we invite you to call us for a one-on-one evaluation with a debt settlement expert.

Our clients come from all walks of life and face all manner of debt-related situations, but many face similar challenges.

If you’ve already fallen behind on your monthly payments or can no longer afford your minimum payments, we want to talk to you. If can’t see any way to improve your financial situation without taking a drastic step like declaring bankruptcy, we may be able to help. What’s more, we have years of experience with clients who face exacerbating circumstances like divorce, death in the family, unemployment, long-term medical issues and other problems.

National Debt Relief – We’re Here For You

No matter what’s going on in your financial life, National Debt Relief is here to help. We’re not interested in giving you the hard sell or steering you into a program that you don’t want or need.

Please take some time to look through our site and learn more about what we do, where we’ve been and where we’re going. You’ll hear from many satisfied customers and learn more than you ever thought possible about credit card debt, personal finance and the debt consolidation process itself.

If our proven debt relief program seems like a good fit, give us a call at 888-703-4948 during extended business hours or fill out the free, no-obligation debt relief quote form on this page. Our seasoned debt relief specialists look forward to speaking with you.

What To Do If You’re Wrongly Targeted By A Debt Collector

Please note that all calls with the company may be recorded or monitored for quality assurance and training purposes.*Clients who are able to stay with the program and get all their debt settled realize approximate savings of 50% before fees, or 30% including our fees, over 24 to 48 months. All claims are based on enrolled debts. Not all debts are eligible for enrollment. Not all clients complete our program for various reasons, including their ability to save sufficient funds. Estimates based on prior results, which will vary based on specific circumstances. We do not guarantee that your debts will be lowered by a specific amount or percentage or that you will be debt-free within a specific period of time. We do not assume consumer debt, make monthly payments to creditors or provide tax, bankruptcy, accounting or legal advice or credit repair services. Not available in all states. Please contact a tax professional to discuss tax consequences of settlement. Please consult with a bankruptcy attorney for more information on bankruptcy. Depending on your state, we may be available to recommend a local tax professional and/or bankruptcy attorney. Read and understand all program materials prior to enrollment, including potential adverse impact on credit rating.